


Try

by cassieisnotapie



Category: American McGee's Alice, Marvel Avengers Movies RPF
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Gen, Psychological Drama, x over, x-over, xover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-30
Updated: 2013-09-03
Packaged: 2017-12-25 02:52:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/947744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassieisnotapie/pseuds/cassieisnotapie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Series of oneshots. In the aftermath of World War II, a young woman was found amongst the rubble in a coma, never aging, and never waking. After several decades of being held as a top secret project by British Government, they gave her to SHIELD for further studies. Only now...She's waking up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Try

Breathing…..

She was breathing…

An unfamiliar sensation, after years of sleeping… drifting…aimlessly in the darkness…..

A sound, muffled, and far away. So very far away… _"_

 _Heart…impossible…."_ _"_

_Should….call….?"_

_"A Hundred….SHIELD…."_

Sensation seemed to sluggishly crawl up her limbs, nerves aching from disuse, muscles and bones struggling to respond to their owners wants. The voices grew clearer, and she reached out to them, letting the sound draw her out of the depths of her dream, out of the state of near lifelessness she had placed herself in.

_"We should…..let…know…"_

_"My Research….. subject…..071 will not….."_

_"Director Fury….to know…..as soon as…..signs of life…."_

She could feel something pinching her arm, and struggled against the weight of her eyes, feeling as though she would have an easier time lifting a building before her eyelids surrendered the fight.

"Director Fury made it….clear." "I'm not….until I know….."

Delicate, black eyelashes parted, revealing a single, acid green eye, shining like shards of broken glass. A white room. Men in White coats. A thin, white hospital gown that was missing her dignity. Her wrists bound, an incessant beeping that seemed to be hammering in time with her bloodied heart. The men were arguing, quite vehemently, behind a pane of glass in another room.

_Not again….._

_Not Again….._

Blood began to ooze down her chest…

Down her fingers...

Stained her eyes...

 **She screamed**.


	2. Belladonna

They didn't speak at first.

Alice sitting stiffly across from the one eyed man, his single, dark brown eye boring into her own as she stared determinedly at the metal table between them. Her blood splattered apron and dress was much more preferable to the foreign fabric that they had dressed her in when she has awoken.

The last thing she had remembered was making her way through London, ages past when she should have long become old and grey, yet remained the same as the day she had stepped out of her wonderland and back into the real world. The hellacious noises overhead, the lights, the sounds, the cries of soldiers ushering men and women off of the streets and into shelters. She was barely noticed, as she took shelter under a nearby bridge. Her Wonderland reflected the reality, fires occasionally lighting along her path, darkness haunting the edges, but thankfully remaining clear of the trauma of her past, as she avoided recently bombed areas for the sake of her sanity. Then, a crack above her, a loud, calamitous bang, and then darkness.

"137 years." The man began, a soft sigh escaping his lips. Half of a torn scar remained uncovered by his eyepatch, only serving to accentuate his solemn demeanor as he took in the young, silent woman in front of him. "They originally found you in the rubble of a building that had collapsed under the bombings of the London Blitz. You had gone into a coma, and were admitted into a hospital."

"However, you never woke up, and after nearly a decade of you laying in your comatose state without so much as a wrinkle on your face, they began to understand that you weren't just any patient." He laced his fingers, steepling them as she continued to stare him down silently.

"They believed you might've have a gene for anti aging, and studied you, examining what they believed to be a cure for old age, a key to immortality, or eternal youth..." The man shook his head. "But they couldn't figure it out. After another few decades, they offered you up to our research team to see if we could do any better." He smiled ironically. "And, well, here we are."

He swept his arms out, gesturing to the walls around them. But upon seeing her expression remain as stony and blank as before, he let his smile fall, and heaved a sigh.

"Things have changed a lot in the last few years, so, it might come as a shock to you...Luckily, we have another guy adjusting to the 21st century too. And he's only a few years younger than you I bet."

She twitched slightly at that information, though her gaze remained hard focused on the table top. Younger physically? Or younger in that he took a shorter nap?

He leaned forward slightly, and finally met her slightly unfocused gaze, bright bottle green meeting battle worn brown. "But I think the process would be much easier, if we properly introduced ourselves."

Alice blinked, and after a few minutes of continued silence, slowly, pale lips parted, and her soft, parched, voice spoke.

"Alice...My name is Alice..."


	3. Abandon

Alice, after much arguing and refusal and incessant rebuttals, stood alone in her designated apartment, staring down at the SHIELD uniform she had been told she should wear, but adamantly argued against. It was skin tight, positively unacceptable wear for someone of Victorian origin, and would've put her mother to _shame_  to wear such clothing.

She turned towards the window, staring out at the streets below. Such a strange place she had woken up to. If it hadn't been for the unmistakable humans that had jostled and bullied her since she had woken up from that darkness-

**_A darkness without name, without thought, without touch…A nightmare of its own making…_ **

She'd have thought herself in some new part of Wonderland; though it lacked the certain  _spark_  the air within her mindscape held, the unmistakable  _feeling_  it carried when one walked through it.

A familiar figure faded into existence beside her, letting out an insulted hiss at the sight of the clothing left on her bed.

"What in Wonderland's good name are those  _atrocities_?" Cheshire asked, recoiling at the sight of the uniforms.

"My new uniform. I reacted the same way when they tried to force them on me." Alice said, not turning her gaze away from the window, even as the cat moved closer, still eyeing the clothes not unlike how one views a coiled viper on the other side of the room.

"The world has only grown even madder than before if that is considered standard." Cheshire said, moving to sit down next to Alice.

"It appears I am not the only one who thinks so." Alice admitted, reaching over to flip through a manilla colored folder, pursing her lips at the various phrases used.

"Oh?" Cheshire asked, his ear twitching as he turned to grin at her.

"A soldier. Older, well, younger than me. He's just come out of a sleep as well. Not as long as mine was, but still as lost as I am…" She murmured. She turned, glancing down at the cat who smiled at her wickedly. "…..You know something." She accused, narrowing sharp green eyes and closing the folder, turning to face the gaunt feline.

"I know many things. Of which do you mean?" Cheshire asked innocently, blood speckled teeth glistening in the setting light.

"I mean about this. About waking up to this world once more! You know why I'm here….even when I don't." She said, crossing her arms as she glowered down at the skeletal cat.

"Perhaps." He admitted, but only grinned, golden eyes shining in amusement. "There is….. _a disturbance_ , shall we say. You must abandon all that you think you know, and prepare for the war to come. The darkness you have escaped from comes in many forms, and there is much to do, until the time comes to step up and do battle. Death is never satisfied, and her servants desperate to please her. These people will need your talents for the  ** _mind_**  Alice, and you must be prepared to step  _forward_ …" He advised, vanishing until all was left was his grin, before that faded away as well, leaving her alone in the apartment.

She scowled at the cryptic answer, and turned to look back at the clothes.

She would burn them in the morning.


	4. Books

Alice struggled against the doors into her apartment building, trying to handle the small ring of keys in her hand while trying to balance the variety of books she had stacked in her other arm. "Cantankerous door..." She growled, the books in her arm wobbling dangerously as she shifted, trying to get the blasted key into the aforementioned lock.

The books in her arm shifted dangerously. "Woah, woah!" Another voice called out, and suddenly, there were hands, steadying the crooked tower of history books that were about to topple onto the pavement. Alice turned, head twisting about to look at her sudden savior.

The first thing she noticed were the blue eyes, brimming with kindness and curiosity as he eased the stack of thick hardcovers back into a less precarious position. The handsome blonde hair more suited towards those of the more traditional hairstyles of her day, if not closer to the time she had fallen into the darkness, the abyss without name. He wore a simple blue paid shirt, with respectable plain khaki pants finished with simple brown loafers on his feet.

He was almost a solid foot taller than she was, having to crane her neck slightly to look up at him as he straightened with her, a friendly smile shaping his almost boyish face as Alice secured her hold over her goods. "Uh, hi..." He greeted, smiling at her. He glanced down at her hand, still clutching the assortment of keys while gripping the bottom most tome.

"Oh! I'll get the door for you!" He said, stepping forward to unlock the door, the jingling of metal, followed by the expected _'click'_  of the lock giving way signaling the opening of the apartment doorway. The man smiled politely, holding the heavy door open for her. "After you Ma'am." He nodded, as Alice slowly stepped past him, before moving to the elevator.

He followed, once again rescuing her from further embarrassment as he pressed the button first. She sighed through her nose, her lips puckering slightly with irritation as she stared at the chrome barrier keeping her from her rooms. The lights signaling the elevator's arrival was agonizingly snail paced today.

"So..." The man began awkwardly, glancing at her awkwardly. "You um...y-you're with SHIELD" He asked, looking over at her, taking in the pallid skin, blue dress, and suspicious red splatter on her apron even though her hands were pristinely clean.

"Is this building for SHIELD agents and employees?" Alice asked, her gaze unmoving from the elevator doors.  _7...6...5..._

"Uh...yes?"  _4...3..._

"Then I work for SHIELD."  _2...1_

The doors slid open with a mild groan, and Alice stepped inside, hoping to leave the man behind, only for him to step inside with her. "Which floor do you live on Ma'am?" He asked, fingers hovering over the number pad.

"Floor six." Alice said curtly, turning her gaze to her reflection in the mirrors of the elevator walls.

"Oh, me too." He smiled, pressing the button as the doors slid short before them.

Alice twitched, wondering vaguely if she should have taken the stairs instead.

They fell into silence, Alice staring at her reflection, taking in her real body that her mind hid from others, her body strong, but her face exhausted; her skin sallow from years of being hidden from the sun, dark shadows under her eyes from dark dreams, and her old clothes worn thin beneath her mental image.

The man was looking around awkwardly, seeming to struggle with coming with the next topic of stiff conversation. Finally, he turned to her. "If I may ask ma'am, what's your name?" He asked.

Alice's hands gripped at her books, and she struggled to school her expression before her irritation became too obvious. "Alice. Alice Liddell if you must know..."

The man's eyes widened. " _You're_  Alice?" He asked, turning to face her.

"That is indeed my name, as hard as it is to believe." She said, juggling with her books slightly as she tried to switch to her room key. The man placed a hand atop the pile of texts in her arms, stilling her minor struggle.

"I'm Steve Rogers. Did Nick Fury mention me? He told me you were from around my time?" Steve asked, eyes brimming with hope. Alice blinked, looking up at him. Mr. Fury had indeed mentioned this man to her, a man (younger in the timeline sense, yet older in the physical sense, a backwards and obfuscated explanation of what their age group should be in her opinion.) that was supposed to be her new teammate in this "Avengers Initiative" Nick Fury had explained to her, her possible only reason for being allowed out of that... _.room_  of her own free will. A soldier, from World War II, a war that had only just begun when she'd gone under.

"Quite a bit before that I should think." Alice said, and saw him blink slightly in confusion, before smiling again, just as friendly as before.

"Well, it's nice to know that there's someone just as new to this as I am." Steve commented, and politely looked over the stack of books once more. "Are you sure you don't want me to take a few?"

"I..." Alice faltered, taking in his polite expression. "I suppose..."

He grinned, reaching down to take half of the pile in her arms, lifting them with ease as the doors slid open with a ding.

Alice stepped through, the former solider following her closely.

"Which apartment are you staying in?" He asked curiously, as Alice marched through the halls with a confident stride.

"Apartment 606." She said, not even slowing in the slightest.

"Oh! I'm in 607, what a coincidence!"

Her steps faltered for a second, and a man with an eyepatch leapt to the forefront of her mind. Her lips curled at the realization. "Coincidence indeed..." The savior of Wonderland muttered, green eyes fixating on the door to her apartment just up ahead.

"These are a lot of history books..." Steve commented, staring down at the tower of tomes in his hands.

Alice scoffed. "One should be quick about educating themselves in a foreign environment Mr. Rogers. It could leave one very vulnerable otherwise." She said, stopping before her door.

"Oh please, call me Steve. Mr. Rogers always makes me think you're referring to my father." Steve said with a laugh.

"As you wish..." Alice muttered, unlocking the door to her apartment, letting it swing open. The living accommodations Mr. Fury had set up for her were well adjusted to her time period, victorian furniture dotting the room, old china wear in the cabinets, he even made arrangements for traditional english blends to be delivered to her regularly. The living room and kitchen were just as she left it, with the various literature and poetic novels she had purchased beforehand scattered over the apartment, various works of famous authors placed over the coffee tables and small kitchen counter, some even dispersed along the floor, right where she had left them.

She picked her way over the books splayed over the carpet, setting her new addition on top of what little space was left on the coffee table. "Make yourself at home if you wish." Alice said, making her way over to the kettle, flicking on the gas stove to make tea.

"I wish I could, but I'm heading to the gym in a little bit. Gotta keep in shape and all." Steve said, awkwardly glancing over the messy room, before setting the books onto a remarkably clear table nearby.

"Whatever suits your fancy. I assume we will see each other soon enough." Alice said, turning to flip a page of Shakespeare's Macbeth as she waited for the tea to boil.

"What do you mean?" He asked, blinking at her in confusion.

"The Avengers Initiative Mr. Fury included ourselves in. I assume there will be a mission of some sort that he will ask us to participate in." Alice said, looking up at him.

Steve's lips parted in recognition. "Oh! Oh right, right. Avengers." He smacked his palms together awkwardly, looking around the apartment. "It was uh, nice to meet you Alice." He said kindly, reaching out to grasp the handle of the door.

"And you as well Mr. Rogers." Alice nodded, returning her gaze to her books.

Steve nodded, smiling a tad tightly before closing the door after him, leaving Alice alone in her apartment. She glanced up at the door, shaking her head slightly.

"Men."


End file.
